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What will happen if you ground the grounded conductor or neutral at every device?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
The ground wire is an important safety wire on an electrical appliance and to work properly it must not be one of the current-carrying wires.
That is because under fault conditions there could be transient spikes of voltage on the neutral wire, carried along the supply path, but the earth wire is earthed at the property so this is less likely.
Also in many cases the neutral is earthed at the supply transformer and there might be a small voltage between the neutral and earth in the house.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoIf you ground the grounded conductor or neutral at every device then you will be creating multiple pathways for a ground fault to travel. The whole object of just creating one pathway is to create a low impedance path directly back to the distribution panel to trip the breaker that is connected to the circuit that has gone into a fault condition.
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What is neutral to ground fault?
Neutral, by definition, is grounded at the distribution panel, and also at the distribution pole. That is how the hot to ground voltages are prevented from exceeding their normal voltage and encroaching on truly lethal voltages, such as 7.6kV in a typical US 13.2kV system, in a wye configuration.Note: and this is critical, do not depend on the fact that neutral is grounded and consider that it is the same as protective earth ground. It is not. Protective earth ground is a different wire.
Is a ground fault protection for equipment required even if the neutral will not be used?
Yes, ground fault protection for equipment is requiredeven if the neutral will not be used.However, the question implies that it might not be required if there is a neutral. That is not true. With two exceptions, ground fault protection is always required in the US, and it is probably required in other countries as well.The exceptions are the use of an electric cooking range, and an electric clothes dryer. In those cases, the US NEC allows the neutral conductor to also be the ground fault conductor, except for the case where the range or dryer is in a mobile home. In the case of the mobile home, the ground fault conductor and the neutral conductor must be maintained separate and distinct all the way back to the distribution panel.In every other case, including where local code overrides the US NEC's exceptions, it must be understood that ground fault protection (protective earth ground) is not the same as neutral, even though the neutral conductor is grounded.
In the electrical system of the US what is the difference between the neutral and the PE Ground?
US NEC: The neutral conductor is an insulated grounded conductor used as the current return in a circuit. The color designation for neutral is white. The protective ground (PE, protective - earth) is a non-insultated grounding conductor used to shunt fault current to ground, tripping the protective device. The color designation for PE ground is green. Neutral and PE ground are tied together at the distribution panel. PE ground is also connected to a solid earth ground, such as grounding rods driven into the earth. Downstream of the distribution panel, PE ground is never used to carry operational current. Any current flow on PE Ground, other than parasitic current, is considered a ground fault, which must be corrected. In fact, GFCI (Ground Fault Current Interrupting) breakers will trip when neutral current does not match hot current, an indication of PE ground current flow.
What is the purpose of the neutral conductor?
The purpose of neutral conductor is to carry the unbalanced load current. It is also a grounded conductor, which effectively places a limit on how much voltage could be present from hot to ground, a safety concern.
What cause current on the neutral line in a three phase?
Current on neutral in a multi phase system is caused by imbalance between the phases. Question: Are you talking about neutral or ground? The two are very different. Although neutral is grounded, it is expected to be a current carrying conductor, so current on neutral is normal, so to speak. Ground, on the other hand is a protective circuit that is not supposed to have any current on it at all.
Can the bare grounded neutral conductor of a service be buried directly in the ground?
A bare grounded neutral should never get close to the ground if it is wired properly. When the neutral leaves the meter base it is in conduit and should enter into the distribution panel where it connects to the neutral buss. It is at this junction that the copper ground wire is connected after coming from the outside ground rod or ground plate which ever grounding system was used.
What is difference between ground and neutral?
A neutral is an active conductor in the circuit. It is grounded at the source but that's for another discussion. The ground exists to ensure the proper operation of over current devices like fuses and breakers in the event of a fault.
What is it called when wires connect accidentally?
If two ungrounded (hot) conductors touch or an ungrounded and a grounded (neutral) conductor accidentally touch, it is called a short or short circuit. If an ungrounded or a grounded conductor touch an equipment grounding conductor, it is called a ground fault.
In substation neutral wire is always short with groundwhy we are shorting?
The neutral wire is called a grounded conductor. It is also a current carrying conductor. It carries the unbalance current back to ground. At the substation the neutral is derived at the XO connection at the transformer. It needs to be grounded to earth. If not, you will have fluctuation of voltage on all phase wires to ground. With substations voltages being in access of 5kv in most cases. this fluctuation can be very vast.
What is the purpose of neutral contactor?
Presumably, you are asking the purpose of a neutral conductor, rather than 'contactor'?A alternating-current supply has two conductors, a lineconductor and a neutral conductor. The line conductor is at system potential (e.g. 230 V in Europe), whereas the neutral conductor is at approximately earth (ground) potential because it is earthed (grounded) at the supply transformer. The neutral conductor acts as the 'return' path to the transformer, carrying the same load current as the line conductor.
What is neutral to ground fault?
Neutral, by definition, is grounded at the distribution panel, and also at the distribution pole. That is how the hot to ground voltages are prevented from exceeding their normal voltage and encroaching on truly lethal voltages, such as 7.6kV in a typical US 13.2kV system, in a wye configuration.Note: and this is critical, do not depend on the fact that neutral is grounded and consider that it is the same as protective earth ground. It is not. Protective earth ground is a different wire.
GFCI circuitry often checks for a difference in current between the ground and neutral?
A GFCI monitors the current in the ungrounded (hot) conductor and the grounded (neutral) conductor. If there is more than 6mA of current difference between the two the GFCI will open the circuit.
Do you have to be touching the ground to conduct?
Not necessarily. You could touch the Neutral wire and hit a hot and get a shock. You could touch something that is grounded and then become a conductor that way.
What two colors may be used for the ground conductor neutral?
What two colors may be used for the ground conductor (neutral)
Why no electric shock from neutral line?
There is normally no voltage on the neutral line because the neutral line is grounded. However, and this is always important, do not assume that neutral is grounded, nor that there is not an elevated voltage on neutral or ground due to a possible ground fault.
Why the neutral line spark when touches the ground in the panel or other circuit?
The neutral conductor, or "grounded conductor", takes the unbalanced current back to its origin if wired correctly. If it finds a ground path before it makes it back to the panel, it will take it. If you take a neutral off its path back to a panel, and happen to touch a grounded surface, such as a metal case, you will become the ground path. That being being said for safety's sake, I will continue. The neutral wire completes the circuit. A neutral wire unattached to a neutral bar is an extension of the "hot" wire, or ungrounded wire, and will spark if grounded. If that unattached neutral touched a different circuit of a different phase, then what ever was connected between the hot and neutral wires just went poof. I hope that helps a little.
What is multiwire branch circuit?
A multiwire branch circuit is consist`of two or more ungrouded conductors that has voltage between them and has a grounded conductor that is eoual voltage between each conductor connect to the neutral and it,s ground
